Beautiful
by CurlsAndCobblestones
Summary: When Anna tells Kristoff that she isn't beautiful, Kristoff is taken aback. How can she not see everything that she is to him? He sets out to show her that she is truly, in every sense of the word, beautiful.


Disclaimer: I do not own any of Frozen! Hope you enjoy my story. :)

The trouble began after Anna's birthday ball.

Now, Kristoff normally hated balls as one might expect, but tonight was different. It wasn't just another stuffy party, it was a celebration for _Anna_. And if there was one thing Kristoff loved to celebrate, it was Anna.

And oh, it had been perfect. Anna's usual adorable cheer had been heightened so that Kristoff almost couldn't stand it (almost). She positively glowed in her favorite gown, and Kristoff (as usual) couldn't take his eyes off her. For once Anna only had to dance with a few visiting princes and dignitaries, which meant that Kristoff was able to hold her, dance with her, touch her, practically the entire night. And Anna seemed to be as pleased about this as Kristoff, smiling so brightly that anything else Kristoff may have been troubled by simply drifted away.

After the ball, Anna had convinced Kristoff to come up to her room with her because "it's my _birthday_ and it'll just be for a little bit oh _please_ kristoff?" and who was he to deny anything from the birthday girl?

Anna stood in front of her tall mirror pulling pins out of her hair, and Kristoff stood behind her, arms around her waist and content to remain nosing gently into her neck forever. She pulled the last pin from her hair, and in the mirror he watched it cascade down her back and tumble over her shoulder. He pulled her closer into his chest, his eyes now contentedly closed as he pressed a gentle kiss to her temple and whispered, "You are so beautiful, Anna."

It was then that Kristoff's blissful mood was pulled to a halt as he heard Anna bark out a quiet laugh and respond matter-of-factly, "No, I'm not."

His eyes flashed open. "What?"

"I'm not."

He pulled her around so that she was facing him. There was no trace of sadness or self-depreciation on her face, she simply looked as if she had just told him something obvious, something everybody knew.

"What are you talking about?"

She laughed a bit again, light, unbothered. "I'm just not exactly _beautiful_ , that's all. Nothing to get worked up about."

Kristoff couldn't for the life of him find the words to respond. "But- but you're so- _Anna_ -"

But she had already pulled away from him and went to sit on her bed, now brushing out her hair with her fingertips. "Kristoff, I'm not beautiful, I'm cute."

Here he stopped his gesticulations and looked at her. "You- huh?"

"I'm cute! I'm the cute one, that's how it's always been. I'm not _beautiful_ , I'm just, yknow, cute."

He stared at her blankly, desperately.

Anna huffed out a sigh and began to explain more thoroughly, seeing that he showed no sign of understanding.

"Kristoff, okay, it's just- There are girls who are beautiful, and there are girls who are cute. I'm cute. It's how I've been labeled my whole life. I hope that doesn't sound conceited or anything, I just mean, well, y'know I'm _little_ and I've just got these small hands and feet, my seamstresses always say how adorable they are, and I have freckles and you know you _love_ to tell me how cute _those_ are and I mean, that's great, I like those things about myself! I'm totally okay with being cute! It's just, well, I'm not _beautiful_."

Kristoff spluttered, distressed, "But, _Anna_ , how does that mean-"

Anna laughed again. "Kristoff, it makes perfect sense. There are some girls that are cute, like me, and others are beautiful. Like Elsa, or my mom, she was beautiful- Ooh or that lady who works at the little pub we went to by the docks, with the really long hair? _She's_ beautiful, and I'm just, well, that's not _me_. That doesn't mean I'm not _ever_ beautiful, I guess sometimes I am, just like girls who are beautiful can still be cute! Like this morning when Elsa had frosting on her nose, remember?"

Kristoff could only nod meekly.

"Right, well, that's my point. Honestly Kristoff, don't look so torn up about this, it's not a bad thing, it's just who I am. Come here," she said softer now, patting the space next to her on the bed.

Kristoff moved to sit next to her, still unable to get his mouth to work properly.

"Anna, but, you _have_ to see how-"

This time he was cut off by her loud yawn. "Kristoff, don't be silly."

Her eyes now fluttering sleepily, Anna burrowed herself under the covers, absentmindedly tugging Kristoff down to her. He laid down on his side, his head propped up on his hand, trying to make her look at him, but just like that she was falling asleep, effectively ending the conversation.

"Anna-"

She was too busy snuggling herself into Kristoff's chest, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"G'night, I love you, s'much," her words muffled and distant as she drifted off to sleep.

Kristoff watched her for a moment, then turned his head to blow out the candle on her bedside table, leaving them in darkness save for the fireplace.

"I love you too," he murmured into her hair. He watched her breathing even out, noticed her hair spilling over her face, one strand moving up and down as she breathed, her lips parted against his chest where he knew there would be drool later, her legs tangled messily into his. She _was_ adorable, he would give her that. And in the darkness he could see what she was talking about: she really was the cute one, it was what all of her maids and adoring staff members called her. Growing up it would've been all she heard as she bounced around endearingly, befriending anyone she could find. And now, next to the almost intimidatingly flawless and graceful beauty that was Elsa, he could see how she thought she was different.

"But you're still _beautiful_ ," he thought, frustrated, "you're a different _kind_ of beautiful, you're just, you're so much... _more_ than that."

Anna shifted in her sleep, and he could hear the tale-tell signs of snores beginning to form. Kristoff pulled her tighter into his chest, protectively, desperately.

She was so much more than she knew. "And I'll prove it to you," Kristoff whispered through the darkness."

The next morning when Anna woke up, she found her bed sadly Kristoff-less. "He probably left before it was light," she thought, "Elsa still isn't a fan of him spending the night in here."

As she got dressed and went down to breakfast, she thought, "I hope he wasn't bothered by all that beautiful nonsense last night. That man worries himself over the silliest things." But she smiled to herself and skipped down the last staircase to breakfast.

Kristoff was nowhere to be found there either. "Well that's alright," she reminded herself, "He probably had to take Sven out or something."

She still hadn't seen him by the time she finished breakfast, and as she was getting up a maid rushed in to remind her of her errands for the day. Several things had been put off during the week due to her birthday celebration, but now that her birthday was over she had to get them done, making for what would probably be a full day out of the castle.

And it was a full day indeed, she noted as she made her way back to the castle that evening after it had gotten dark. By then Anna had completely forgotten her conversation with Kristoff the night before. All she wanted was to go find him- after all, she hadn't seen him _all_ day.

But he wasn't in the stables, or in the kitchen, or in his room. He wasn't in the courtyard, and Elsa said she had hardly seen him all day. Anna began to worry the tiniest bit. He shouldn't be out on an ice trip, he wasn't scheduled to leave for a least a few more days.

Feeling dejected, Anna trudged up to her room to change into something more comfortable before setting out to find Kristoff again. But when she opened the door to her room, she stopped short.

Her room was covered in tiny pieces of paper, stuck all over her closet and desk and mirror, even leading into her bathroom. She stepped inside, and discovered that they were not just pieces of paper, but individual notes written in a scrawling, messy hand. Her makeup was still sitting out on her vanity from the night before, and each piece had its own note attached to it.

Anna picked up her mascara first. "You have the prettiest eyes," the note read.

Her lips curved into a smile, and she picked up her lip gloss. "Your smile is easily the brightest and most beautiful thing I have ever seen", she read and smiled wider, laughing in disbelief.

Her rogue for her cheeks had a longer note. "When you blush, really blush, like when I make you laugh, it is quite possibly the loveliest thing in the world."

"No matter how you do your hair, it always looks perfect. (Even in the morning!)" her brush told her, and her face powder declared "Your freckles are the 8th wonder of the world. They're not just cute, they're astounding, and so perfectly _Anna_."

Laughing again, Anna moved to her closet, feeling something light and warm and expanding in her chest.

Each dress in her closet said something different.

"You are gorgeous in green."

"Blue is one of my favorite colors on you."

"Red suits you perfectly, feistypants."

"You are my sunshine, but especially in yellow."

And some were more specific: "Have I ever told you how much I love kissing your shoulders and neck and collarbone in this dress?", "You are positively angelic in this," "I adore the way you carry yourself", "You are magnificent", "You are radiant", "You are stunning", "You are flawless."

Her nightdress folded on her pillow read, "You are captivating even in your sleep, sweetheart."

Overwhelmed and feeling as though her heart might burst, her eyes scanned over the remaining notes. Each pointed out a different thing he loved about her, a way she was pretty, a way she was unique, a way she was Anna.

On the foot of her bed sat a full piece of paper, a letter. Her hands shook slightly as she read.

 _You, Anna, are so much more than you realize._

 _When you dance, you are gorgeous._

 _When you laugh, you are radiant._

 _When you smile, you are mesmerizing._

 _You are enchanting when you sleep, exquisite at breakfast, marvelous at dinner._

 _You are splendid in the courtyard, astonishing in the mountains, breathtaking every moment of every day._

 _You are kind and you are understanding, you are silly and you are wonderful._

 _So maybe you're right, you're not beautiful._

 _That word simply doesn't do you justice._

Anna's eyes blurred with tears as she finished the letter. "Damn you, Kristoff, you incessant, wonderful man," she laughed shakily and wiped her nose.

"Hey, what did I do?"

Anna whirled around and there he was, grinning in her doorway. She was in his arms before she even realized she had moved, and he lifted her off the ground, cradling her to his chest. They remained there together for a long moment.

Clutching him, Anna whispered into the crook of his neck, "Kristoff-" but he merely chuckled quietly and drew her closer to him, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"No, Kristoff-" she pulled back just enough to hold his face in between her hands. "Thank you."

Kristoff smiled gently. "You had to know," he murmured, resting his forehead against hers.

Anna could think of nothing to say, no way to thank him, no way to tell him what he had given her, so she simply pressed her lips to his, deep and needy and loving. He responded in kind, drawing one hand down from her shoulder blades to the small of her back, his other hand cradling her cheek. Anna decided would never stop wondering how such a massive person could touch her so gently, hold her with such care, while simultaneously lighting her on fire with every move of his hand on her back and waist.

Kristoff pulled back a fraction of an inch, his lips still hovering over hers. "I know I'm not normally good with, well, words." He breathed out a laugh and pressed a kiss to her nose before pulling away enough to look at her. "I know I'm not really the best at telling you how I feel or getting out the right words but, I just- what you said yesterday- Anna, you were just so _wrong_!"

Anna laughed and hit his shoulder. "Hey!"

"You _were_! Anna-" His face softened once more and he gathered her hands in both of his. "Anna. I'm a little ashamed to say this took me all day-" Anna giggled "-but I had to figure out how to show you how beautiful..." he kissed her forehead. "And kind.." he kissed her cheek. "And magnificent..." he kissed the corner of her mouth. "And _breathtaking_..." Anna's breath hitched as he dragged his lips down her jaw and neck. "And wonderful... and utterly perfect you are." He finished at her collarbone, and Anna took a deep breath, pulling him as close to her as possible.

Kristoff looked down at her, his eyes shining and adoring and true. "Do you believe me?"

And just before Anna pulled him down by his collar and met his lips with hers, she whispered, "I'm starting to."


End file.
